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Friday, August 17, 2012

Cherry Tomato Sweet Pepper Mozzarella Tart

This summer, I had the pleasure of cooking for my mother-
and father-in-law at least a couple of times every week. The challenge was to make beautiful,
appetizing meals that would entice my father-in-law, who is in hospice care, to eat. This particular dish was
beautiful to look at and delicious as well.
We were so excited because, for the first time in ages, he cleaned his
plate! If you don’t believe me, check
this out.

Yes, we were so excited, we actually took a picture!

Give this lovely tart a try and see if your family doesn’t
clear their plates as well.

Put the flour, shortening and salt together in one bowl.
Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the flour into the shortening until
you have small crumbs.

Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, blending with the
tines of a fork, until the mixture forms a soft dough which can be rolled into
a ball.

Wrap the ball in cling film and
chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

When you are ready to bake, either roll out the dough and
fit your pan or, if you are at your mother-in-law’s and you don’t have a
rolling pin, slice the dough into thin pieces.

Lay them in the pan and quickly press them into a crust.

Trim the edges with a sharp knife and turn
the trimmed pieces over. Press them in
to make a nice even edge. Cover with cling film and put it in the fridge until you are ready to bake. (If baking immediately, you can skip this step.) If you are using a ceramic pie plate or casserole, take it out when you start preheating your oven so the ceramic dish can warm up a little. Some dishes cannot safely go directly from the refrigerator to the oven.

Okay, ready to bake? Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Slice your onions thinly and put them into a small pot with
a good drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black
pepper.

Cook the onions down slowly over a medium heat until they
caramelize and are nicely browned. Stir
frequently and make sure not to let them burn.
Set aside to cool.

Cut your sweet peppers into pieces about the same size as
the cherry tomatoes.

Toast your pine nuts in a small skillet over a medium
flame.

Shake the skillet often to keep
them toasting evenly. This should take
just a few minutes. Be careful not to
let them burn. Set aside to cool.

Pull the leaves off of all but a few of the thyme stems,
reserving some of the thinner stems for adding in whole, with leaves, before
baking.

In a big bowl, start to assemble your tart filling. Add in the cherry tomatoes, cut peppers and mozzarella
balls.

Sprinkle liberally with the thyme leaves and some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the cooled caramelized onions and stir thoroughly.

Pour the filling into the pie shell.

Top with the reserved thyme and the pine nuts.

Bake the tart for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is crispy
and browned and the mozzarella balls are melted completely.

oh.my.word! This would be incredible served over pasta, too! Your tart looks amazing & I'm happy your FIL was able to clean his plate. That is picture-worthy.I've not cooked much with pine nuts, as they are rather pricey here. I'm afraid I would burn them. Can they be toasted in an oven? Thanks!

Thank you for your kind words. I don't see why you couldn't toast them in the oven. Preheat your oven to about 350F or 180C. Put them in a dry baking pan and set a timer for two to three minutes. Shake the pan every time the timer rings because you don't want them to burn! Remove when they are nice and brown. Where do you live?

Thank you so much for your kind words. It is difficult. It was my pleasure to cook for them when I could. The hardest part of the expat life is being apart from family. I only wish I lived closer so I could be more help all the time. it's not the same but Skype has been such a blessing. At least I can offer words of encouragement and regular opportunities to chat.

Thanks for the simple new pastry crust recipe. I need a new one! And love how you cut and then shape into the pan...such a brilliant idea! Of course you can't go wrong w/ the flavors! Happy Improv Challenge to you!

Thanks, Serena. The less you touch the pastry dough, the better so if you have a rolling pin, that would be good. This was an alternative method if you can't roll the dough out. Press quickly and don't mess with the dough too much and it is still flakey when baked. We loved this tart!

Cooking for people I love, creating deliciousness out of fresh ingredients, browsing through cookbooks for inspiration, perusing grocery shelves for choice items and writing about my expat life enriched by food. That's what I do here.